Brother Knights,

           Our annual K of C Free Throw Competition was held  on Sunday, January 13th at St. Pius X High School.  A BIG THANK YOU goes out to all the Knights who helped with this event, especially Bill Stump, our council Youth Activities Chairman.  Those shooters who qualified,  will move on to the District Competition, also at St Pius X High School, on February 11th at 2:00PM.

Contact Bill Stump if you are able to help with this event( 436-7145 ).

           How many of our brother Knights, are aware we have an active Toy Shop on our Council grounds?  These men donate their time and effort to make wooden toys for the children,  that are distributed during the holiday season.  If you have the interest or the skill(?), and would like to "hang out" and give back to the children, drop by the shop(they meet at 8:00AM each Tue.) Please contact Lee Fox(453-5334 H) or Gus Bannick(e-mail gusbannick@yahoo.com) if interested.

           The Snake Saturday Parade in North Kansas City, MO takes place on March 16,2013.  Mark your calendars.  We need brother Knights  to walk the parade route(pass out Tootsie Rolls, 4th Degree Knights in regalia, drivers to pull the ship and trailer,  'ol St Patrick etc.  We need as many Knights as possible to participate. Are goal is to have fun and bring back a bigger prize!

Please contact Fred O'Halloran, Community Activities Chairman(455-1596) if interested.  Don't turn him down!

We are still in need of a Family Chairman. If interested see the GK.

                           A few dates/events to remember:

• 4th Degree Assembly meeting  Jan 31st 7:30PM
• Council #3414 general  meeting February 5th  7:00PM
• Ash Wednesday (beginning of Lent)  February 13th
• Council #3414 planning meeting February 19th  7:00PM

----  Toy Shop 8:00AM each Tuesday at the Toy Shop building

Please congratulate our January 2013 Knight of the Month:  Frank Roos

                  Vivat Jesus,

                  Mike O'Neil          GK

March is just around the corner and that means Snake Saturday Parade is fast approaching.  Brother Knights, please mark your calendars for Saturday, March 16, 2013 for the Snake Saturday Parade.  As in the past, St. Patrick (Tom M.) will be joining us in our presentation.  We are looking for Honor Guard members (15-20), Brother Knights to throw-out the Tootsie rolls (20-25) (we can use all level of skills when it comes to your throwing arm) and Knights on Bikes.  We have a new addition to the parade this year, we are going to use the wagon for those Brother Knights who would like to join us but not ready to walk that far.  Lee Fox and his construction crew are working on some decorations for the wagon.  We want plan to honor veterans as part of our display. 

Also, we are looking for ideas to improve the money we make.  As mentioned at our last council meeting, it costs us around $50 to enter and we usually receive $100 back as an award.  However, there are prizes as high as $2,000 for winning entrants by category.  Our challenge this year to earn a much higher prize.  In order to accomplish this, we have to do a better job of decorating our entry.  The theme this year is "Irish Roots and Cowboy Boots"  We have Irish roots with Fr. Michael J. McGivney, so we are looking for help with achieving this theme with fresh ideas and help in improving our float.  Any suggestions, please call Fred O'Halloran at 816-415-0947 or email  community.chair@kofc3414.org

The Missouri State Council awards a total of eleven (11) scholarships each year.

Each scholarship has an annual award of $1000, payable in installments of $500 per semester. The scholarships are designated in the following categories:

   * LUKE E. HART MEMORIAL Scholarships.

   * MISSOURI STATE Scholarships.

   * CARDINAL BERNARD F. LAW Scholarship.

   * VOCATION Scholarships.

   * Ladies Auxiliary Scholarship.

The Missouri State Council website contains information on eligibility requirements, details concerning the selection process, and the mailing address for completed applications.

Visit http://www.mokofc.org/programs/youth-activities/scholarships-grants 

Completed applications using only the 2013-2014-application form, and required certification forms must be postmarked no later than FEBRUARY 15, 2013 in order to be considered.

Bill Stump

Knights of Columbus Council 3414

Youth Activities Chairman

h (816) 436-7145

c (816) 616-0042

Four parts of retirement: Phase four

Okay, if you've been following along in my articles, you've read about the first phases that lead to retirement. Protection and accumulation of savings are the first time, followed by de-accumulation of those funds while making them last.

The final phase is care. At some point, at some age (hopefully a very advanced age), you will need to slow down. You will no longer be able to care for yourself. At that point, you will need to have assets available to provide much needed care, either at home or in a care facility.

As you probably know, the cost of care continues to rise. I cannot quote you a number here (I could give you specific details in a face-to-face meeting), but the nationwide average grows by leaps and bounds. How do you plan to cover these costs? Government programs might not be available, or might require you to spend down your assets leaving your family with little.

The best way to handle the cost of care in the future is to plan ahead today. The Knights of Columbus offers long-term care insurance that can cover at home or facility care costs. And our product is backed by the financial strength of the Order. It has many benefits and our premiums are competitive with any other company.

The Knights of Columbus - the organization you trust - is in a position to help you with every phase. Life insurance, disability insurance, guaranteed retirement plans that turn into guaranteed income streams when you retire, and long term care. There is no reason to go elsewhere as you prepare for the four phases!

Contact me today to schedule a meeting.

    Our Soup and Salad dinner had a poor showing in January.  We heard some complaints that the price of $10.00 was too much for a bowl of soup.  I think that everyone that attended the dinner got plenty of food to eat.  We serve an appetizer, salad, dessert, and drinks along with the main course. It is more than you can get for the same price at any restaurant.  Please remember the main purpose we have for hosting these dinners is to raise money for our charities!  This is a fund raiser and we are asking for your donations.  The ladies spend alot of their time and energy, plus donating the food to put these dinners on.  The dinners are our only means to raise money and we only ask for your help and support, so we can continue to donate to charities that help the Knights and our churches.

    Our next dinner is February 10th.  We are serving ham, scalloped potatoes, corn, green beans,salad, and for dessert we are having chocolate cake and a variety of cherry desserts. Happy hour starts at 4:00 p.m. and Dinner is at 5:00 p.m.   We hope to see you there.

    Please mark your calendars for the Children's Easter Party on Palm Sunday, March 24th at 2:00p.m.  We are looking for someone to be the Easter Bunny this year.  It only takes about 30 minutes to lead the children outside and walk around during the Easter egg hunt.  Just let me know if you are interested.

                            Thank you,

                            Sheila Van Keirsbilck

                            Ladies Aux. President